preview here
I don't know why I was so mournful about the recent conclusion of the Man of Steel's best series, All Star Superman. Everything I look for in a quality Superman book can be found in Action Comics. Without a doubt, since Geoff Johns took over this book, and especially since the art assignment was handed to Gary Frank, Action Comics has more than lived up to its name month in, month out.
A testament to the solid work found in Action Comics #870
is that the outcome has been preordained for a while now ("New
Krypton," anyone?) but the journey there is no less compelling, moving
and enjoyable to follow. Fans for the last couple of years have debated
how a Superman epic could best be depicted for the big screen after the
arguably ponderous, navel-gazing Superman Returns failed to
blow everyone's mind. I would offer this issue alone as Exhibit A to
Warner Bros. in taking a good, hard look for how to introduce an
interesting new villain to the live-action arena while giving Superman
something to punch. Johns & Frank's multi-part "Brainiac" is
superheroic storytelling at its apex. If nothing else, Johns can add
Brainiac to his impressive résumé of villains for whom he has restored
their relevance in the DC Universe. The ruthless Coluan conqueror has
not kicked so much ass since Marv Wolfman & Gil Kane breathed new
metallic life into him 25 years ago (in this very title, by the way!).
Not that there's a lack of precedence, but one thing I gleaned from
this issue is that Superman is capable of delivering street-level
justice to an opponent just as easily as Batman or Hawkman (the latter,
not coincidentally reinvented by Johns). Clark doesn't even
play nice, offering Brainiac some particularly vicious blows during the
course of this final chapter. Gary Frank is an artist with a deft hand
for this sort of no-holds-barred violence, his intense pencils getting
clean finishes by the duo of Jon Sibal and Bit. The Daily Planet staff
takes a back seat to other supporting cast this time around, Supergirl
and the Kents getting more attention, but needless to say what
transpires over the last half-dozen pages will resonate for years to
come. Oddly enough the covers for the "Brainiac" storyline seemed to be
one step ahead of the tale told inside, but anyone that's paid
attention to certain nuances over the last few months has likely braced
themselves for an epic change in the status quo suggested in Action Comics #870's last page.
For a story that's really all over the place for 22 pages -- Earth, the
sun, Metropolis, Smallville, the Fotress of Solitude -- it's an
action-packed romp with nary a wasted page while nothing feels too
rushed. The Supergirl restoration project here, and now in her own book
(loads of potential there as evidenced by Supergirl #34),
is going full speed ahead as Kal-El offers just the right advice to his
cousin before she has to save the imperiled Earth in riveting fashion.
Even when the Daily Planet gets one choice panel just to show how the
characters are faring there, it's a worthy culmintation of the scenes
there dating back to the first chapter of "Brainiac." For the story's
titular character, it's a grand return to form for one one Superman's
most notorious yet underappreciated villains, and they definitely need
to hold on to this iteration for a good long time. The creative team
for Action Comics is 2-for-2 in story arcs that have
resuscitated dormant characters (the Legion of Super-Heroes before
this). Has anyone considered taking another look at Terra Man?